The Last Starfighter (1984)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

For every kid who dreamed of a far off adventure and an endless supply of quarters. A fun family-friendly popcorn flick.

Watching this movie turns me into a 9year old me. Looking to the stars to be the hero the galaxy needs! So cheesy, so nostalgic soooooo good! I don't think I could recommend this to younger people (and expect them to like it) as the graphics don't hold up. Some of the acting is over the top and cheesy. The plot is thin. This is a fun movie with some tense moments and some pretty good comedy. The acting from the main characters is what pulls the movie together and for me gives it that timeless quality. I don't doubt it helps that I saw this as a kid in the theatre and it holds a special place in my heart.

Everyone dreams of being a pilot or an astronaut and this dream comes true for one kid from the trailer park. This wonderful tale brings out the kid in you and make you want to cheer on the good guys as they take on the universes evil. This was the first time a special effect team used nothing but computer animation in some scenes. So when you watch it just think all of this was done with 640K of memory on a 486 computer! This is a great popcorn flick filled with chases and shooting, good guys and bad guys, love and romance and growing up. It is fun, smart, great story line, and not at all predictable!If you have not seen this movie then grab your child or nephew and some popcorn and enjoy this.....Robert Preston is an absolute delight!

THE LAST STARFIGHTER's got all the good stuff: video games, spaceships, aliens, dogfights, the classic story of becoming a hero . . . it's the kind of movie that, if you go willingly, takes you right back to being a kid. That's not easy to pull off because if the material is shrewd and calculated, you can see that stuff coming from a mile away. It's artificial. But we've all felt stuck in nowheresville at one time in life, so we gamely join Alex on his journey into outer space. There's enough whimsy here to make it a fun ride. If that's not enough, he gets to actually be a starfighter and save planet Earth. The movie's shamelessly corny, but Lance Guest sells it to the rest of us. And it's pretty cool to see heavier hitters Dan O'Herlihy and Robert Preston (in a winking performance) have fun with it. The CGI, which could've gone woefully awry, works here and harks back to TRON (man, that'd be a killer double-bill). The Star Car is also a pretty bitchin' ride, and I also wouldn't mind having that arcade cabinet. Also wouldn't mind making it up to Catherine Mary Stewart at Silver Lake. 8/10